About this Product

Founded by Catherine the Great, the maritime city of Sevastopol has been fought over for centuries. Crucial battles of the Crimean War were fought on the hills surrounding the city, and the memory of this stalwart defence inspired those who fruitlessly battled the Germans during World War II. Twice the city has faced complete obliteration yet twice it has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes.In this groundbreaking volume, award-winning author Mungo Melvin explores how Sevastopol became the crucible of conflict over three major engagements - the Crimean War, the Russian Civil War and World War II - witnessing the death and destruction of countless armies yet creating the indomitable 'spirit of Sevastopol'. By weaving together first-hand interviews, detailed operational reports and battle analysis, Melvin creates a rich tapestry of history.

Biographical Note

Mungo Melvin is the author of Manstein: Hitler's Greatest General (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), first published to critical acclaim in 2010. In 2011 it was runner-up in the prestigious Westminster Prize; in 2012, it won a distinguished book award as best biography of the year from the US Society for Military History.General Mungo Melvin CB OBE is a retired senior Army officer. Commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1975, he saw operational service in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the Balkans. During the latter part of his 37-year career he specialised in strategic analysis and professional military education and doctrine, becoming one of the British Army's leading thinkers and writers. Mungo Melvin is president of the British Commission for Military History, and is currently advising the British Army on the First World War centenary commemorations. He is a senior associate fellow of the Royal United Services Institute and a senior visiting research fellow of the war studies department of King's College London. He lectures widely on strategy and military history in both the public and commercial sectors.

Contents

List of Maps List of Illustrations List of TablesAuthor's Note Prologue PART ONE - EARLY SEVASTOPOLChapter 1 Crucible of Conflict Chapter 2 The Founding of Sevastopol Chapter 3 Bastion of Maritime Power PART TWO - THE CRIMEAN WARChapter 4 The Eastern War Chapter 5 The First Defence of Sevastopol Chapter 6 Inkerman and the Spirit of Sevastopol Chapter 7 Defeat and Defiance PART THREE - CITY OF REVOLUTIONChapter 8 Ruin, Peace and Recovery Chapter 9 The 1905 RevolutionChapter 10 World War to Civil War Chapter 11 Allied Intervention and the Russian Civil War PART FOUR - MODERN WARChapter 12 Red Terror to Patriotic War Chapter 13 City of Courage: the Second Defence of Sevastopol Chapter 14 The End of the Second Defence and Axis Occupation Chapter 15 Liberation and Reconstruction Chapter 16 Fraternal Conflict Epilogue Chronology Endnotes Bibliography Acknowledgements